Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks

As a performer and songwriter, Dan Hicks is imminently engaging, twisting his signature mishmash of damn near every musical style known to man into songs that feel supremely natural. The magic holds for as long as the music plays; once a songs over, the theoretical strangeness of Hicks sound sinks in. How could Western Swing play alongside gypsy jazz, while surf rock mingles with bossa nova cowboy sing-alongs, and female backup singers play call-and-response with Hicks very particular vocal twang? Add to that Hicks penchant for writing lyrics filled with a dry wit reminiscent of Garrison Keillor and Frank Zappa, and youve got something very strange - very strange and very wonderful. NICHOLAS HALL